The Coldain Insignia Ring

parts 1-8

Ring 1: Copper Coldain Insignia Ring (AC1, STR+1, MR+1)

It all starts with Garadain Glacierbane and will involve him for the first
eight. He can be found in a hut at the Coldain camp just northeast of the
Ry'Gorr fort at -2700, -400. Hail Garadain and he'll tell you he wants a
blanket. You can either make the blanket yourself of have someone else do it and
multiquest the ring later because the blanket is nodrop. Either way, the blanket
is trivial with a tailoring skill of about 60. You need High Quality Tundra
Kodiak Pelts (very rare drop off tundra kodiaks in Eastern Wastes), and two High
Quality Cougarskins (more common drops, off snow cougars in the Eastern Wastes
and Iceclad Ocean) in a large sewing kit. You can often buy the skins in the
Bazaar. Give the blanket to Garadain for your first ring, the Copper Coldain
Insignia Ring.

Ring 2: Silver Coldain Insignia Ring (AC2, STR+2, MR+2)

Right after receiving your Copper Ring, say "How assistance?" to Garadain. He
will give you an axe and instructions to find his nephew Boridain Glacierbane,
who has aims at greatness. He can be found on a hill just west of Garadain's hut
at -2450, +1550. If he's not up you may end up waiting up to five hours. You
have to escort Boridain around the zone in search of a rabid kodiak and make
sure the fool doesn't die. He's only around level 22 so he'll die pretty easy.
What you have to do is clear away the static mobs where he's going to go before
giving him the axe.

First, kill the giants at the front of the giant fort at -1770, +2920 plus
the Captain, who will stroll out to the entrance regularly, the static giant and
orc in the jail at -30, +300, and the orcs outside the orc fort at -3500, +400.
To get started, give Boridain the axe and he'll be on his way. He walks slowly
and you can't SoW him or anything, nor can you buff or heal him. If you get
roamers, deal with them fast. He'll assist you, but a good tank plus an
enchanter should be able to deal with it.

Boridain first heads west to the giant fort at -1770, +2920. He stops right
at the entrance, then starts immediately heading northeast to the jail. Along
the way he'll stop and sit. Use this as a chance to heal and med, but keep an
eye out for roamers. After he finishes the trip to the jail he then heads south
to the orc fort but stops for another break along the way (some great warrior
this little idiot will be). When he arrives at the orc fort, he will turn around
and go back to his starting spot and moan about never being a warrior. The Rabid
Kodiak will spawn behind him. Grab it quick and kill it. Loot the pelt and give
it to Boridain, since he's scheduled to despawn.

Boridain will give you a broken axe, which you give to Garadain along with
the Copper Coldain Insignia Ring for the Silver Coldain Insignia Ring. If you
had someone else do the blanket and they have the ring, have that person hand in
the ring and THEN you give Garadain the broken axe. Now you will have the Silver
ring.

Ring 3: Gold Coldain Insignia Ring (AC3, STR+3, MR+3)

You need smithing skill for this one. You need a skinning rock, which is
found on the ground around the middle of EW and is nodrop, plus a High Quality
Walrus Hide from a walrus, which you can get at the far north shore in the
Ulthork area, and rhino horn from a wooly rhino. The three are then combined in
a forge and is trivial at about 65. The knife isn't nodrop, so someone else can
make it for you. Give the knife and your Silver ring to Garadain for the Gold
Coldain Insignia Ring.

Ring 4: Platinum Coldain Insignia Ring (AC4, STR+4, MR+4)

This is tricky but can be done with just a few people if you are smart and
have a level 60 druid. Wait for Tain Hammerfrost to spawn just west of the
Iceclad bridge. He'll be lying on the ground and is on a two hour respawn timer.
When you find Tain, say "I will help" to trigger the quest. As soon as you do
this, four giants will spawn over the hill to the east and come running like all
hell for Tain. Now you can either take a group or two and kill all four or do it
the easier but more time-consuming way.

Have a helper, like a level 60 druid, snare or otherwise pull the named,
Ghrek Squatnot, from the bunch, and lead him away to be killed. I pulled him to
my rogue and the rogue not only killed him but pickpocketed the item I needed
him to drop. When he dies, loot a vial.

If Tain is still alive, quickly give him the vial to receive the Coldain
Smithing Hammer. If Tain is dead, wait for him to respawn, trigger the quest
again with "I will help" and give him the vial quickly. He'll despawn, as will
the giants. Give the Coldain Smithing Hammer and the Gold Coldain Insignia Ring
to Garadain for your Platinum Coldain Insignia Ring.

Ring 5: Obsidian Coldain Insignia Ring (AC5, STR+5, MR+5)

Again you can do this with a level 60 druid quiet easily. First, you'll need
Ry`Gorr Invasion Plans. They drop every time for a Ry`Gorr Messenger, who spawns
just to the south of the northern Ulthork hunting area and runs straight south
to the Ry'Gorr fort. He's an easy kill.. The plans are droppable, so you may
find them for sale in the Bazaar.

When you are ready, position your people to the north and east of the Ry'Gorr
fort. It looks like a low spot or depression in the ground. You want to be far
from where the Ry'Gorr will spawn. Don't bother with Harmony, you won't have
time. When everyone is ready, hand in the plans to a Coldain Lookout, who is on
the edge of the Coldain camp. Eight orcs, mostly shaman and very high level,
will spawn just west of Garadain's camp. Among them is a shadow knight named
Scarbrow Ga`Hruk. When they spawn they stand motionless for a good ten seconds.
This is where the druid snare pulls Scarbrow, and only he will come from the
rest. The others will attack Garadain's camp and wipe it out, then despawn.

Scarbrow will harm touch for around 400. When he is dead, loot his head. He
may also drop a
Frozen Orb, a pretty nice range item for casters. It's not needed for
quests, just an extra treat. When Garadain respawns, give him Scarbrow's head
and your Platinum Coldain Insignia Ring for the Obsidian Coldain Insignia Ring.

Ring 6: Mithril Coldain Insignia Ring (AC6, STR+6, MR+6)

Again you can do this with just a 60 druid. You have to camp the Coldain traitor named Rodrick Tardok. Rodrick
spawns in the little tower that serves as a zone out of Crystal Caverns, just to
one side of the front of the Ry'Gorr fort. He isn't on a timer but is triggered when
the rare Ry`Gorr Emissary walks up to the tower. This is a real pain because
there's no set timer. Be
careful not to agro the emissary, and wait for Rodrick to spawn.

When Rodrick has spawned, go ahead and kill him. He's pretty low level but
can't be snared even when tashed. However, he is susceptible to fire. When dead he drops his head and a no drop "Dirk of the Traitor".
You want BOTH
of these. The Dirk is for the ninth quest. You can use it, but don't. It procs a
stun that will stun you.

Now, assemble at the Ry'Gorr hut just to the north of the ice bridge. At
around 10 pm, start killing everything in the hut. If lower level players are
exp-ing there, tell them you are doing a quest and ask their indulgence to step
aside for a few minutes, for their own good. After clearing the hut,
run to the southwest corner of EW to the two empty Coldain huts at -8100, +3230,
near the Kael zone, with a named dire wolf called Icefang. Take the druid with
you and have the druid load Succor.

If it's past midnight you should also find a dwarf ghost
outside of Icefang's hut named Korrigain. When you are ready, give your
Obsidian Ring to Korrigain. He will give it back and it spawns a script to make Icefang walk
out, stop a moment, then run off to the hut . Rather than run back, and agro all
sorts of trash, have the druid succor. You will pop up just to the south of the
ice bridge. Run north to the hut. You'll have to wait almost 5 minutes as it
takes Icefang time to run across the zone.

Several mystics of Ry'Gorr will pop along with a a named level 40 shaman
called Poxbreath Yellowfang.
He spawns inside the hut. Have the druid snare pull Poxbreath out single.
Icefang will arrive, fight the three orcs outside and die. Don't worry about it.
Kill Poxbreath, and this is not easy as he is a shaman, then loot the note he
drops. Return to Garadain and give him Rodrick's
head, the note from Poxbreath, and your Obsidian Coldain Insignia Ring to
receive the Mithril Coldain Insignia Ring.

Ring 7: Adamantium Coldain Insignia Ring (AC7, STR+7, MR+7)

This quest has a really easy way to cheat, with either an FD person or an
enchanter. First, you need to kill
Warden Bruke in the on the north shore of EW, where the ulthork spawn. Bruke is
tough and totally MR. Kill his placeholder, a Kromrif Prison Guard, until he
spawns. Once he spawns, move to the right side of the building (facing north)
and pull him. When he is attacked, two guards will spawn in front of his
building. So if you pull from the side and run south, you will avoid the guards.

Once the
Warden is dead, loot the no drop Shackle Key. The femur is pointless.
Once you have the Shackle Key, go back to where Bruke spawns and look for a
building in the middle of that depression. You want to locate Corbin Blackwell,
who is surrounded by five mobs, two Kromriff Prison Guards and three
Interrogator's of Ry'Gorr. Once cleared, you have to give Corbin the shackle key
and your Mithril ring.

He will get up and start walking to Dobbin Crossaxe, who has a hut well to
the east of the jail at -570, -3190. This hut is north of the Ry'Gorr hut where
ring six takes place. He walks slow, just like Boradain. Run your other
characters to Dobbin's hut and park them there, and have an enchanter or monk
escort him. I saw him walk right by a walrus and Ulthork Hunter and they didn't
agro on him. When he says "Almost there, just a little but farther now,"
be ready. When he says "Uh oh, looks like they were tipped off. I hope you can
handle them," or something like that, four giants, including a named (Commander Bahreck)
plus four Ry'Gorr will spawn to the south and run at you.

IMMEDIATELY
whack him and run straight north. The eight mobs will go to where he was and
stand around stupidly before wandering off through the zone. Train him straight
north to the shore, then east to the huts. The best part is, even if he chases
you to the huts the other Coldain won't join in to help him. Get him as close to
Dobbin's hut as you can and have the monk FD or the chanter mez with Glamor of
Kintaz, and then hit a mem blurr. For good measure, camp out the chanter and
bring him back. Now, he may stand around for a good minute or two, but then he
will compliment you on your bravery and walk into Dobbin's hut. There's a brief
exchange and Dobbin will ask for your ring. Give it to him, and he will give you
a letter. You take this back to Garadain for the Adamantium
Coldain Insignia Ring.

This ring is not fun, because if you blow you, you start over. First, you
need Gloradin Coldheart, who spawns in a hut next to Garadain's. She is on a 24
hour timer and may be killed by Scarbrow, from a faction hunter, or if someone
else does the 8th ring. When she's up, get some friends. A druid and enchanter
are sufficient, to be honest. Get buffed up in advance.

Say to Garadain 'I am ready.' He will ask for your ring. You give it to him
and he gives you a letter. Give it to Gloradin, then have your druid invis the
group and run like hell to Ry'Gorr fort. Move to your right as you enter until
you are positioned halfway between the Crystal Caverns zone and the fort
entrance. You should be able to see both. It would have you on the far side of
the fort. In time, an army of giants and orcs will spawn outside the fort.
Inside will be 3 orcs and 2 giants. Have the druid snare pull Chief Ry'Gorr. The
melee then steps forward and smacks him while the enchanter slows and druid DoTs.
This Chief Ry'Gorr is a lot nastier than the regular Chief who spawns in the
fort. Anyway, kill him and loot his head, and whatever else he may drop. If
you've got the firepower, you can also kill Firbrand the Black for his drops.

Invis and run back out of the fort and over the hill. On the hill should be an army of Coldain
preparing for the war. If they're not there yet, wait a minute and they will run
up and stop there. A minute after the Coldain army arrives, Garadain will walk
up to the army and stops to give them a pep talk. There's a huge lag in between
statements, which makes things boring after the rush of killing Ry'Gorr. After
his yapping he shouts, 'CHARGE!'

As soon as he does this, give Garadain the Chief's head to receive your
Velium Coldain Insignia Ring. You can give him the head any time, but if you
wait for the charge order, you get to watch the war between the Coldain and the
orcs/giants. You gotta be on the ball. If Garadain dies, all is lost
and you must start over. You can't wait for him to respawn and hand in the head,
that Garadain won't accept it.